Give Me That Old Time Religion

Recent surveys have shown that the “religion” of President Obama is in question. There were rumors during the campaign that he was Muslim. He says he is a Christian. How can we know? The answer is simple: “By their fruits you shall know them” (see Matthew 7:15-20).

Let’s just do a quick walk-through of the facts. The problem with facts is that you can’t spin them. They are what they are. They’re like fruit—it’s either a peach or it’s not; it’s either an apple or it’s not. It can’t be both.

President Obama did little to distance himself (until it became politically necessary) from the tirades of his pastor, Jeremiah Wright. Having sat under such hate-filled sermons, how could he not be infected and influenced? The sermon clips I’ve heard of his former pastor have little to do with the Christ of the New Testament.

The president has spoken to Muslim audiences in the Middle East and has implied that all religions are the same and that we all worship the same God. The Bible would say otherwise. The gods of cults and false religion are not the God of the Bible. If you just judged the overtures to Islam as opposed to the support of Christianity and the Judeo-Christian ethic, you would have to conclude that he’s not a Christian but leans toward being a Muslim.

He has shunned the National Prayer Breakfast, but invites Muslims inside the White House to a dinner celebrating Ramadan. He speaks out publicly on the possibility of a mosque being built in the shadow of Ground Zero, but has, to this point, made no comments about the Greek Orthodox Church destroyed by the fall of the South Tower on 9/11. Rumor has it that there are Muslim symbols in the White House. While there are (to my knowledge) no factual news reports on that, the rumors are floating.

The Obama family has lived in Washington, D. C., for nearly two years and does not attend church regularly or have a church home. Christians have been commanded not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together (Hebrews 10:25). If we all followed the president’s example, few of us would be in church on Sunday. What does he do on Sunday mornings? Why isn’t he training up his kids in the faith? It would seem, if your faith is a vital part of your life, that you would want your children under the influence of Sunday School teachers and a pastor who would teach them the ways of God.

Jesus didn’t call us to be fruit pickers, but He did give us the ability to be fruit inspectors. We can inspect and see if a person bears evidence of a life changing experience with Christ. Is there evidence of a commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior?

Someone has said, “Religion is bread for daily use, not cake for special occasions. It is neither a winter resort nor a last resort.” No one should call themselves a Christian just to get elected. Evidence should back up the claim. It seems to me that a biblical worldview would include a healthy respect for and support of the nation of Israel. Although Israel is largely a secular nation, they are still a nation set apart who will play a role in end times prophecy.

Let’s look back to the 1970s. Former President Carter says he is a Christian. However, he writes books revealing a negative bias toward the Jews and favor toward the Palestinians who, like those before them, have been trying to wipe out the Jews for centuries (for example, Palestine: Peace not Apartheid and We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land). You can’t hate, despise, or ignore the people first chosen by God and expect the favor of God on your life. God still has a purpose for the Jewish people. We in the body of Christ would do well to remember that.

We have had presidents who have been nominal in their faith. Abraham Lincoln wasn’t a stellar example of church attendance. Some of our presidents have been obviously lacking in manners and morals. But this is the first time we’ve had a president who favors a religion that is, in some shape or form, bent on the destruction of Jews and Christians. I’m not excusing the Crusades; I’m simply saying that we should be careful when we deal with people who call us infidels.

There’s a lot of dirty laundry in the White House. It’s been there since the early days of this nation. But there has been a public support for the Judeo-Christian ethic by the overwhelming majority of those who have served in the highest office in the land. The reality is that we have a president who is more kind to certain areas of the Middle East where terrorists are trained, embedded, and have killed thousands of our young men and women, than he is to the institution of marriage (defined biblically) or to our strongest ally, Israel.

My fear is we are getting the leadership we deserve. I’m not trying to be political in this article. I would say this if the president were a Republican or an Independent. Wrong is wrong and right is right. When you start turning black and white into grey, you breed confusion and compromise. You can’t negotiate with evil, no matter how hard you try (just study Chamberlain trying to negotiate with Hitler).

Trying to hold middle ground will get you run over by both sides. I realize a politician has to negotiate. I’ve got it…I just don’t get it. I don’t understand why a person seems to be running from the faith he claims to believe and embracing a faith that is not in line with those so-called claims and beliefs.

3 thoughts on “Give Me That Old Time Religion

  1. Mat 7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
    Brother I agree with your comments here. I once heard on the radio a comment about Mr.Obama saying we were Not a Christian nation. He asked whether we should follow the commands found in Deuteronomy, Leviticus or the rhetoric of the Sermon on the Mount. That last sentence I could not believe I heard. I would not call My Saviours words “rhetoric”. But I believe that comment speaks volumns about his “Christianity”.

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